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Arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and human urine in Ha Nam province, the Northern Vietnam: contamination characteristics and risk assessment

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Abstract

The contamination characteristics of arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and the potential risks of arsenic from the groundwater were investigated. Elevated contamination of arsenic, barium and manganese was observed in tube-well water of two villages (Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang) in Ha Nam province in the Northern Vietnam. Concentrations of As in the groundwater ranged from 12.8 to 884 µg/L with mean values in Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were 614.7 and 160.1 µg/L, respectively. About 83 % of these samples contained As concentrations exceeding WHO drinking water guideline of 10 μg/L. The mean values of Mn and Ba in groundwater from Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were 300 and 657 μg/L and 650 and 468 μg/L, respectively. The mean value of Ba concentration in groundwater in both Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang was about 22 % of the samples exceeded the WHO guideline (700 µg/L). Arsenic concentrations in human urine of residents from Chuyen Ngoai and Chau Giang were the range from 8.6 to 458 µg/L. The mean values of Mn and Ba in human urine of local people from Chuyen Ngoai were 46.9 and 62.8 μg/L, respectively, while those in people from Chau Giang were 25.9 and 45.9 μg/L, respectively. The average daily dose from ingesting arsenic for consuming both untreated and treated groundwater is from 0.02 to 11.5 and 0.003 to 1.6 μg/kg day, respectively. Approximately, 57 % of the families using treated groundwater and 64 % of the families using untreated groundwater could be affected by elevated arsenic exposure.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Project Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology—VAST 07.04/13–14, and the authors would like to express special thanks to the Directorate of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) for their kind support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet Road, Cau Giay District, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Long Hai Pham, Hue Thi Nguyen, Cuong Van Tran & Tung Hoang Nguyen

  2. Faculty of Chemistry, VNU University of Science, 19 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Ha Manh Nguyen & Minh Binh Tu

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  1. Long Hai Pham
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Correspondence to Long Hai Pham.

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Pham, L.H., Nguyen, H.T., Van Tran, C. et al. Arsenic and other trace elements in groundwater and human urine in Ha Nam province, the Northern Vietnam: contamination characteristics and risk assessment. Environ Geochem Health 39, 517–529 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-016-9831-3

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